


Alive

by KatMotif



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Aging, Alternate Universe - Future, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Chi-Chi misses her boys so much, F/F, Femslash, Friends to Lovers, Gay Panic, Grief/Mourning, I was gonna make this a oneshot oops, Implied Sexual Content, Just Implied stuff, No Smut, Not Compliant with Super/GT, POV Female Character, Past Character Death, Past Chi-Chi/Son Goku (Dragon Ball), Past Relationship(s), Past Vegeta/Bulma, Past Yamcha/Bulma - Freeform, Post-Cell Games Saga, Slow Burn, finding love again, maybe a seperate smut fic will come idk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:08:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21772732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatMotif/pseuds/KatMotif
Summary: It's been years since Chi-Chi had last seen Bulma, but during the terror of the androids, they kept in touch through email. Now, the threat is gone and the future awaits them all, but Chi-Chi still grieves the ones she's lost. Will reuniting with her last and closest friend help her finally heal? Will other feelings come about from them coming together? Can she move on?
Relationships: Bulma Briefs/Chi-Chi, Future Bulma Briefs/Future Chi-Chi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. Alive

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mozarteffect](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mozarteffect/gifts).



> So Mozart inspired me to write this fic with Twitter posts because this fandom needs way more femslash and I need to write more of it anyway. Also, Bulchi is a great dynamic to write and I'm looking forward to where this goes. It was gonna be a one shot but as I typed out the first bit I realized, yeah. This is gonna be a slow burn. Maybe after LAEW I'm just fixated on writing gay slow burn stuff now. (Sorry, the K18/OC17 fic is on hold bc I'm stuck with it right now. But I hope you'll like this one!)

“Alive”

a Dragon Ball Future fanfiction by KatQuasar

Years had passed since it had all happened, starting with the death of her beloved Goku, followed by a seemingly endless nightmare in the form of those androids. One by one, friends were killed until only her son, Gohan, and the son of Bulma and Vegeta, Trunks were left. Then, Gohan was gone too, and Chi-Chi felt like if it weren't for her father, there would be nothing left to live for. Even so, she wasn't the kind of woman to end her own life, and felt it would be a waste of all the sacrifices made to just end it all, even if it meant seeing her boys again.

It was a relief for everyone when Trunks finally defeated the androids, freeing the world of their terror once and for all. Bulma had told her, in her emails (Chi-Chi knew at least how to do that and snail mail had been risky because the androids liked to cause havoc but doing things like killing innocent postmen), that Trunks had visited the past to try and change things here; what he had done, however, was prevent another time line from going through the hell of this one (granted with some additional chaos, but Chi-Chi thought of it as time travel shenanigans because they'd gone and done all this in the first place). The grief, however, still showed on her aging features, like the bags under her eyes and the graying of her black hair, no longer as neatly done up as it once was.

Sometimes Chi-Chi thought she should have died instead, in place of her beloved son, who had already lost an arm (a mentor, his friends). She'd given up martial arts to raise him, because one of them had to and Goku sure wasn't (not that she blamed him, she could never blame him, even now, she still loved Goku so). She had wanted another child with Goku, but the heart virus claimed him before they could even plan on it. The next thing she knew, they had to go into hiding, and one by one, her friends were suddenly gone. Gohan stopped coming home so much, and she knew it was to protect her and her father, but maybe also because his father was gone. He changed so much since all of these losses happening at once. Her sweet boy became hardened by all the losses, fixated on those damned androids that he seemed to become someone else entirely.

Chi-Chi wished the Dragon Balls still existed, but the death of Piccolo was the death of Kami, and the Dragon Balls died with him as well. Hope seemed to die along with them, until the androids defeat, and even with the renewed sense of a future ahead, she still seemed stuck in the loss of basically her entire friend group. Her father seemed to be slowing down a bit with age himself, having more trouble getting around than he used to, though he tried not to let it show. It felt like she had no one at times, if not for the emails Bulma would send to check on her from time to time.

Bulma Briefs had been Goku's longest known friend and once an object of jealousy (she was, after all, one of his closest friends, and was so smart and beautiful, so a younger, more naive Chi-Chi couldn't help but be a little jealous) was now, probably, her last living friend. Now that the androids were gone, they would come a little more often, and Chi-Chi found herself looking forward to them, eagerly booting up the old computer like Gohan had shown her how years ago (she missed how smart her baby was, Gods, she was so proud). Though they hadn't seen each other since Goku's funeral—it wasn't safe for them to gather, they figured, because they felt they would be hunted down. Goku was gone, and anyone associated with the Saiyan was on the androids' kill list, it seemed. She knew Roshi and the pig were likely alive and well on his little island but she would rather keep distance from those two perverts, and nobody really knew where Launch was if she was even still alive. As far as Chi-Chi knew, her only friend in the world that had survived was Bulma.

She wondered how much the events of the past years had affected the scientist. She wasn't sure if Bulma's parents had survived, but she of course knew about Trunks. She remembered Gohan telling her how proud he was of Bulma's son, but she hadn't actually met the boy herself. She wondered how much the boy looked like Vegeta, that other Saiyan. She wondered how close him and Bulma actually were before he too was killed, how well Trunks knew him before he died.

She wondered if Bulma had aged any better than she had, much to her inward amusement, the blue haired woman always fashionable and well groomed even in the toughest situations. She wondered if she'd let her hair grow out or if she'd trimmed it short. She wondered if her blue hair had grayed like her own raven locks, if it was still as soft as she'd remembered. If she still smelled the same.

Sitting up in her bed suddenly, her face flushed at the mere direction of her thoughts. Chi-Chi had only been with Goku, and it had been so long since he'd left this world, and yet the idea of sharing her life with someone else romantically was still shameful to her. And another woman? Not that Chi-Chi had a problem with such things, but she'd never thought of herself as someone attracted to the same sex before. Maybe it was the loneliness getting to her, it had been years after all and she wasn't getting any younger.

It's not like she could get a date if she tried, she thought as she peered into the mirror on her bedroom vanity from her bed. Her black and gray hair was disheveled from sleep, but her features definitely showed signs of her aging, her grief, her distress. Surely, her beloved Goku wouldn't find her as beautiful. (Would Bulma? Those thoughts crept into her head once more, shaken off with more heat on her cheeks.)

Slowly rising, she walked over to the vanity, sitting on the small bench and reaching for her hairbrush. Straightening her hair was easy enough, as was tying it up in a bun on the top of her head. Her bangs had long since grown out and she hadn't gotten a proper haircut in years, only trimmed off the dead ends whenever they'd appear. Sometimes she wondered if she should just chop it all off, but she never carried through with it, a passing thought she never acted upon.

Once dressed and washed up, she made her way into the living room. She could hear her father's snoring from the main living area, and she smiled a little. Ox King had taken over Gohan's old room years ago, after he'd stopped coming home. Parts of her boy were still there but she still wouldn't go in there, for even being in the room as a reminder that he was gone. Approaching the computer, she turned it on as she always did, like Gohan had shown her years ago. It took a little longer to boot up these days, but finding someone to fix a computer was still hard to come by. It still worked well enough, just slowing with age, like they all did.

Once she opened the email program, surely enough, there was an email from Bulma, and Chi-Chi released a breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding. Her fingers shook a bit as she clicked on the nameless message they'd been sending back and forth all this time.

_**Hey Chi~** _

_**I was wondering if maybe...since the androids are no longer a threat to anyone, we could maybe meet up? And catch up in person? It's been so long since I've actually seen you and I really want to. It would be nice to just get together...like old times. Well, maybe not like old times, but you know what I mean. What do you say? Let me know.** _

_**TTYL,** _

_**Bulma** _

Chi-Chi felt her fingers tremble a bit as she brought them to her cheek. Bulma wanted to see her. She wasn't sure why her stomach fluttered so much at the prospect, why it made her feel so happy, that Bulma wanted to see her. Was she so lonely that she was so desperate to see her friend again? She was right, it wouldn't be like old times, because they could never be like old times. Not with all the loss and missing faces from their friend group. But, she sighed, it would be better than not having anyone to see at all. Besides, what could it hurt?

Her fingers trembled as they reached down towards the keyboard. She wasn't sure what she was feeling but she was excited. Maybe also a little scared, but her loneliness and wanting to see Bulma once again outweighed her self-consciousness at least for the moment. Carefully, she began to type out a response.

_**I would love to see you.** _


	2. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chi-Chi arrives in West City, reminiscing of the past still. Capsule Corp awaits her, as does Bulma.

The last time Chi-Chi had been to West City was when they had used the Namekian Dragon Balls for the last time. Back then, she disliked driving through the city, with all the traffic and ruckus it had to offer. But now, half the city still lay in ruin from the androids and some rebuilding had begun, and there was nowhere near as many cars or people there once had been. It would likely take generations for there to be full cities again, with how much of the population had been lost to the terror. An uneasy feeling settled in Chi-Chi's gut about it, trying her best to shake off the thought as her car sputtered a bit, the old thing barely still running.

She'd barely used it since everything happened, the old car. In fact, she wasn't the last person to drive the thing; Goku had last driven her to the store to get some groceries, having just gotten his license, finally. Just weeks later, the heart virus would swoop in and claim his life. To think the man, Saiyan or not, had survived all those fights to protect others only to be no match for a disease.

Chi-Chi had to pry her mind from thoughts of her husband; even now, the idea of him, his big grin and strong figure and gentle heart, it was enough to bring her to tears. She kept thinking she'd be all cried out by now, but sometimes the tears still stung her eyes, and her heart would ache. It was a dreadfully lonely life she'd been leading, in hiding, in grief that seemed to be endless.

But that's why she was driving in West City in the first place; Bulma wanted her to come visit her at the old Capsule Corp headquarters; they had abandoned it but reclaimed it once it was safe to rebuild, her and Trunks. Chi-Chi wondered if the other people rebuilding around her came before they came back, or were inspired to by them. She wondered if they were seen as heroes by the people who were left here, or if they even knew the man responsible for their collective salvation was a teenager living within the city limits.

Then again, no one seemed to remember Goku had saved the world outside of their friend group, so she wouldn't be surprised if the same were the case for Trunks.

Capsule Corp was mostly already rebuilt, the dome buildings well on their way to restoration if not already done. Chi-Chi was impressed but also knew that how hard her old friend worked on things. And from what Gohan once told her, Trunks was very much the same, intuitive and hard working. She wondered how proud her boy would be of the protege he'd taken on so briefly before he too was snuffed out. Stopping her car in front, Chi-Chi wiped at her face with a napkin, thankful she hadn't had makeup to wear anyway or else it'd be all over her face in streaks. Though, she wasn't exactly sure when she'd started crying. With a few deep breaths, she calmed herself enough to stop.

_Bulma wouldn't want to see you upset like this. Be strong for her sake, Chi-Chi!_ She thought to herself, straightening herself out in the reflection of the cracked rear view mirror of the car.

As she stepped out of the car, she locked it (more out of habit than thinking anyone would steal the old thing) and started walking towards the entrance. The yard was somehow still as meticulous as it ever had been, no doubt Panchy’s work of course. It really wasn’t that much of a surprise to Chi-Chi that Bulma’s mother was still keeping the place up, musing that she would honestly be more surprised if the woman _hadn’t_ somehow come out of it all alive. There was a mysterious aura around her that Chi-Chi felt, and very much respected (and wanted to emulate in her own way, of course).

“Chi-Chi!” a voice called out to her, familiar and welcoming. Chi-Chi looked towards what seemed to be a make-shift lab in a half-ruined building, covered partially in a blue tarp. When she caught sight of the person she’d come to see, suddenly her heart leaped in her chest.

Age had been graceful to Bulma, lines showing more visibly than she could remember but that had only given her beauty a bit of edge. Her hair had grown out, shoulder length and tied at the bottom with a white scrunchy, and if any of her hair had greyed Chi-Chi couldn’t see them at this distance. Bulma’s coveralls were teal and a bit old judging by the set-in stains and sown tears. Chi-Chi thought she had overdressed in the simple white cheongsam she’d picked out, suddenly.

“Bulma!” she called back, waving over to her. The two women walked quickly towards each other, nearly running, until meeting halfway in an embrace. They laughed, looking at each other with beaming grins.

“Wow, you look fantastic.” Bulma complimented, and Chi-Chi felt her face warm slightly.

“Oh please, you’re just saying that. You’re the one who’s just as stunning as she ever was.” Chi-Chi replied, a bit of stammering in her voice. 

“In my coveralls? Please. If I wasn’t trying to fix all these machines and stuff I would’ve at least tried to dress as nice as you have.”

“This old thing? This must be the first time I’d worn this dress in years, it’s amazing it even still fits!”

The two women conversed as if they had seen each other on a daily basis, not like it’d been years since they’d last seen each other in person. Bulma took Chi-Chi’s hand and the other woman felt her heart leap again as she was led into the main building.

She hadn’t felt this alive in years.


	3. Remembrance, A

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bulma and Chi-Chi discuss the ones they'd lost; Bulma reminisces about the two great loves of her life. Chi-Chi's feelings are all over the place as they go over their memories together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to update this! Gah!
> 
> My motivation to write went away for a little while but tonight I just really wanted to update this fic. I have DBZK but I haven't even started it yet bc it's at home and I'm staying overnights at work lmao. So...anyway here's Bulma talking about her dead exes bc I wanted to explore that a little. Chi-Chi's turn should be the next chapter.

The two women walked around the premises of Capsule Corp, not as pristine as it once was but rebuilding slowly after years of neglect; they had abandoned the place at one point, knowing full well the androids would have known the location, because of course Dr. Gero would have programmed it in them. Chi-Chi felt a shakiness in her gut, memories of other times in this place coming back, but also…

“It was really hard for me to come back here at first.” Bulma started, breaking a silence Chi-Chi hadn’t known had befallen the two of them. She turned her attention to the other woman, a wistful smile on her face.

“Too many memories, you know. Both good and bad, some things I still regret. Some things I wouldn’t change for anything. But taking back our lives after everything we’ve lost is a really important step in the healing process, or so Mom keeps telling me.”

“She...isn’t wrong.” Chi-Chi added softly, placing her hand on Bulma’s arm reassuringly. “Though I’m not so great at it myself.”

“Hey, we all have different ways of coping and healing. One way or another, we’ll all get to where we need to be.” Bulma replied, smiling at Chi-Chi’s soft gesture. They continued down the hall until they paused at a specific room. The door had been shut for a long time, judging by the dust collected on the metal frame. Bulma’s smile faded softly and she placed her hand on the door.

“This was Yamcha’s room, when he was still living here. When we were together. Before…” Bulma trailed off. Chi-Chi nodded sagely, memories of the scarred man who had been a good friend to her and Goku flooding back to her. 

“You still miss him? You broke up a while before the androids came.” Chi-Chi spoke gently. She was only vaguely aware of the details of their break-up, but knew it had been hard on both of them. She remembered how they were distant from another after that; they stood on opposite sides of the room the day Goku died. 

“I never got to reconcile with Yamcha before...before everything. I regret how things ended. We should have really broken up a long time before we did. We dragged things on because we were both too stubborn to let each other go. I still cared. I still...I still wanted us to be friends.” Bulma blurted out, her voice cracking a bit. Chi-Chi gave her a half hug quickly, rubbing the other woman’s back.

“You know he still loved you. Or at least cared about you very much. He would have forgiven you in time, if he hadn’t already. If that man had anything going for him besides his looks, it was that he had a big heart.” Chi-Chi comforted, her own memories of Yamcha reminding her of how he comforted her after losing Goku. How he would check up on her with the others up until he no longer could. She had taken his loss almost as hard as she’d taken Goku and Gohan’s.

“I know. The goofball always forgave me no matter how badly I treated him. And honestly, I treated him like shit sometimes. I mean, he wasn’t a perfect boyfriend by any means, but I think I could’ve been easier on him sometimes.” Bulma murmured, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her coveralls.

“It wasn’t your fault. At least not solely.” Chi-Chi added. “So, why is it sealed off?”

“Ah, it’s just...there’s memories I’m still not quite ready to tap into. Some of his stuff is still in there, I still let him stay if I needed someone to watch Trunks or something. He was...great with Trunks, even considering the circumstances that lead to him existing.” Bulma muttered, a half-smile appearing on her face, distance in her eyes.

“He was always good with Gohan, too. He really wanted a family of his own one day. He...he should have had the chance to find someone to start one with.” Chi-Chi’s tone softened as she spoke, looking to the floor.

“You’re right. But a lot of us were robbed of the lives we should’ve had. And...those of us who are left? They’d want us to be happy.” Bulma perked up, her hand on Chi-Chi’s back pattering softly. The other woman straightened her stance and straightened up.

“Right. Also...I doubt Yamcha would want us to be sad for him. He never really let others worry over him.”

The two carried on, leaving the closed off room to return to its rest. Bulma continued to lead Chi-Chi down the corridor, shadows draped themselves over them softly. Another closed off room, the dust on this door however had a small handprint left on it, gathering a newer layer of dust but still visible against the older layer.

“I’m guessing...this was…”

“Vegeta’s room.” Bulma’s tone hushed itself. “He’s...even harder to think about than Yamcha is, to be honest. Things were far more...complicated.”

“...did you love him?” Chi-Chi asked, nearly a whisper. Bulma looked up at Chi-Chi, her expression pensive.

“I...think I did. Or could have. I never got to really feel things after...the night we conceived Trunks. It was spontaneous, and honestly a blur. There was definitely attraction, passion, that sort of thing. But feelings were more complicated, he wasn’t as open about his as Yamcha had been.” Bulma bit her lip, looking back at the door.

“...if we had the time, maybe we could have been happy. After everything that man had been through, he deserved happiness, even if he didn’t always believe it. Yes, he had done terrible things, under the thumb of a terrible monster, but...there was so much  _ pain _ in his eyes, and I just wanted to give him something to live for besides his pride.”

“Bulma…” Chi-Chi spoke softly. Bulma’s eyes darted towards the door, softly tracing her finger on the small handprint.

“I don’t go in there. I think Trunks has a few times, when he was a kid. Not since he’s been back, but...after having met him, I guess he’s gotten closure.”

“...you ever consider going back?” Chi-Chi asked.

“No. I don’t know if I could face it. A timeline where everything didn’t go to hell. There are...faces I don’t think I’d be ready to see again.” Bulma sighed.

“...I understand.” Chi-Chi spoke, ending the thought. She didn’t think she could go back either. She’d break at the sight of her husband, her son, still alive. She envied the version of herself in that timeline, the one who hadn’t lost those she’d most cared about. She felt Bulma’s hand shakily take her own, undoing the fist she hadn’t realized she’d clenched.

“I-I’m sorry--”

“Don’t be, Chi-Chi. I still miss them too. I miss them everyday. All of them. But we have each other, right?” Bulma’s tone was so soft, so reassuring. Chi-Chi’s heart pounded as it once had with Goku, her stomach fluttering.

_ Goku, you’d forgive me if I fell for Bulma, wouldn’t you? _

“Of course we do. Always.” She spoke gently, placing her other hand over Bulma’s.


End file.
